Not Okay
by Zoeyz
Summary: The celebration of Princess Day is approaching in the Land of Ooo, and everyone seems to have gotten an invitation. Well, everyone except, Marceline. When the Vampire Queen goes to confront Princess Bubblegum, will she be able to attend the party? Or will Bubblegum continue to snub her out? And why wasn't she invited in the first place?


**Disclaimer:** I do not own Adventure Time, I am not associated with creating any of the genius in this series, nor to I work for Cartoon Network. All creation rights go to Pendleton Ward; I am only borrowing the characters for my personal FF use.

**Rating:** T

**Title:** Not Okay

* * *

Part One:

Exquisitely bold rays of amber painted the Land of Ooo as the sun, clinging to the last few minutes of the day, sunk lower and lower until its bright head could no longer be seen. Marceline, perched on a windowsill, sighed contently as the dark blanket of night finally fell over the land of Ooo. She would never admit it, but the vampire was extremely tired and ready to leave the Wildberry Kingdom. She was hired to come as an entertainer for the royal wedding celebration that lasted the entire weekend. The celebration was finally over, and she was relinquished from her duties. Her fingers were so raw from strumming her bass that they still felt pretty tender (even though they were healed by her vampire abilities).

She allowed her body to slide from the windowsill, feeling a brief rush of air around her face before taking off for home. Her figure glided effortlessly through the sky, sailing higher and higher until she was only a dot in the vast expanse of Ooo atmosphere. She didn't even realize she had reached the grasslands until she had to meander slightly to the left or she would hit Finn and Jake's house. Not a single light was on in the tree fort, or she might have stopped by.

Where was Finn on a night like this?

Marceline caught herself staring at the Candy Kingdom that was to her left. Was Finn there with Bonnibel as he tried in another feeble attempt to make the princess to fall for him? Or was he with that new flame chick he met in the Fire Kingdom? Marceline decided it didn't matter because she would see him eventually.

As she approached her home, she saw that the lights inside were on. Taking action on the interlopers, Marceline gripped the axe-base, that waited readily against her spine. Holding the neck of the weapon, she kicked the door down, and to the vampire's surprise, she found Finn and Jake inside.

"Surprise!" The both shouted in unison as confetti and streamers left their hands. Marceline could see a welcome home sign tacked up crookedly on the wall behind her sofa. She leaned her axe-base against the wall and then addressed her two friends.

"Thanks? But what is all of this guys?" She gestured to the confetti that had landed in her swirling curls.

"This is your welcome home party!" Finn said.

The vampire's eyes swept the room before returning her gaze back to the human. "Clearly many people missed me," she spoke; her tone sounded indifferent. She picked pieces of confetti out of her hair, heading to the kitchen.

"We missed you," Jake said stretching after her. Finn crawled on top of his brother and walked across him like a bridge in pursuit of the vampire.

"Yeah we did!" Said Finn, reinforcing his brothers words.

Marceline didn't say anything, rather just ignored them while she searched for a meal. She opened the fridge, and her slender fingers circled around an apple. The vampire brought the red fruit up to her mouth, sucked it grey, and then tossed its mono-colored corpse over her shoulder, into the awaiting wastebasket.

"Guys, I was only gone for the weekend." Marceline reminded them.

"Yeah, but we have so many adventures to tell you about. The first one happened the night you left," Finn began. "Flame Princess and I were hanging out when all of a sudden Ice king swooped in and tried to take her, but the old fool didn't realize she was made of fire and almost-"

"Finn!" Marceline's shrill voice cut into his story time like a hot knife in butter. She noted the hurt expression that came over his face. "Look, I'm sorry. I just haven't slept all weekend, and I'm really tired. Could we maybe do something tomorrow?"

"But we can't do anything tomorrow!" Finn whined.

"And why not?" Marceline crossed her arms, waiting for an answer.

"Don't you know it's Princess Day?" Jake asked.

The vampire scrunched her face, "Princess Day? What the math is that?"

"It's where every kingdom in the Land of Ooo celebrates the existence of their princess. It's like a birthday, but you're not required to bring a present; you only need to celebrate the princess's life and party!" Jake explained.

"Yeah, PB sent out all the invitations. Everyone involved in the Candy Kingdom has gotten one." Finn added.

"Oh," Marceline's eyebrows rose. She floated outside her house to her mailbox only to find it to be empty. The vampire didn't seem to care that there wasn't an invitation waiting for her. She shrugged her shoulders and glided back in to the house, finding Finn and Jake back in the living room.

"Looks like I won't be seeing you guys tomorrow after all because I wasn't invited." Marceline said dryly.

"Huh." Finn scratched the back of his neck. "I'm sure it got lost in the mail service. We can try and find it for you, or we can just ask PB herself."

"Thanks, but no thanks Finn. Besides I'm beat, so I'll probably sleep all day anyway." She said ushering the two out of her house. The vampire would have shut the door by now, but it laid on the ground with its hinges still grasping chunks of wood from the house.

"Okay, see ya later then!" Finn said while waving.

As soon as he and Jake were gone, Marceline sighed. She checked her mailbox again and frowned. It was probably no accident that there wasn't an invitation waiting for her, but why? Why didn't Bonnibel want her there? In truth, this whole Princess Day sounded like a load of crud. Who invented it? Probably a princess who felt that her kingdom didn't praise her enough; however, if there must be a holiday to truly idolize royalty, it should be a Queen Day. Marceline smirked at the thought.

The vampire's feet left the ground as she ascended higher and higher. All traces of tired were forgotten while she flew to a new destination; Candy Kingdom was in her sights. She turned invisible while passing Finn and Jake, so that they would not see her. She remained invisible passing over the large wall that protected the kingdom. The vampire landed quietly on the balcony outside Bubblegum's room. Marceline couldn't help, but frown as memories came flooding to her. When was the last time she had snuck into the princess's room? It had certainly been awhile. She grasped the handle and turned the knob; it was open. Marceline smiled as she swung the glass door open, walking in.

Princess Bubblegum was hunched over at her desk, scribbling furiously under the dim light coming from the lamp beside her. She wore her reading glasses and her lab coat was resting on the chair she was sitting in. She was so engrossed in her work that she didn't even hear the vampire come in. Marceline grinned at this opportunity.

A click came from behind the pink princess, and she turned, startled by the sudden sound. The glass door leading to the balcony vibrated as if someone had just closed it. She got up to inspect the door, but saw no one standing outside or near it. Bubblegum turned to go back to her desk and jumped, finding Marceline the Vampire Queen sitting in her chair with her feet perched on top of Bubblegum's work. The vampire was smiling with her eyes closed, awaiting the wrath of the princess.

"Marceline!" Princess Bubblegum's reaction was louder than she planned, and her sudden outburst was a cause for them to both to wait and see if any guards had overheard. When none came storming down the hall, Marceline rolled her head so she was facing the princess.

"Hello Bonnibel," her eyelids slid open, revealing her crimson irises. The princess shivered, for she forgot the impact the vampire's eyes had on her.

"What the math are you doing here? Glob, you freaking scared me." The princess rested her hand over her erratically beating heart.

Marceline slithered into the air, so she was now looking down at Bubblegum. "I came to see my favorite pink person of course!"

"Cut the crud, Marceline. You know you're not suppose to be here." Bubblegum reminded, glaring up at the vampire.

Marceline scowled. "I hear you're throwing a party."

"Yes, and?"

"I wasn't invited."

"I know. There wasn't an invitation made for you. And don't you think it's rather rude to invite yourself to something that you're not even apart of?"

"What? Neither are Finn and Jake!" Marceline pointed out, sounding angry.

"I realize this, however, Finn and Jake serve this kingdom going on many adventures where as you do nothing. Need I point out that you're not citizen here. Surely you realize that you're not of the Candy People, you're not made of sugar, and you're definitely not sweet." Bubblegum remarked.

Marceline was now mere inches away from the princess's face. "Well, newsflash to you Bonnie: you may be made of gum, but you have a pretty sugarless after taste."

The princess gasp. "How dare you say that to me!"

"Well it's not Princess Day yet, but I'd rather have a stake driven through my heart before I start treating you like a goddess."

"You know what Marceline? That's another one of your problems," Bubblegum addressed. "You don't follow the rules. A citizen of Ooo is suppose to treat any princess with respect and dignity where as you just float around, throw tantrums, and say vile things in any direction a princess stands."

"I'm just your problem." The vampire's brilliant red eyes narrowed, waiting for Bubblegum's response.

"Oh not this again." The princess said, turning her back to the other girl. "I've already heard enough of that dreadful song and that bass line is so depressing."

A loud sigh came from behind her and that atmosphere in the room sobered. Marceline drifted closer to the floor.

"Bonnie," she said quietly. "What did I do?" The vampire's eyes remained on the ground the entire time.

The princess was surprised by the change in mood from the vampire, causing her to face her again. Bubblegum weighed her options, but in the end decided it was better to say the truth. She approached the vampire queen slowly. She had almost forgotten that she was taller than her since Marceline chose to float most of the time. Maybe that's why she did it? Her pink hand rose to cup the vampire's cheek, but instead it fell back to her side. The princess then also found a spot on the floor to focus on, averting her gaze just in case the vampire looked up.

"Look, I have a kingdom to run. A relationship with you… A relationship with anyone is nearly impossible to keep with my schedule. And besides we're just not right for each other. I'm sweet, your, well, not so sweet; I choose my civil attire opposed to your rebel punk clothes; I-"

"Really, Bonnibel?" Marceline's voice was like ice. "You're looking at those petty differences as to why we can't be together?"

The princess looked up, and felt the words she was going to say die on her tongue. Were those tears in the vampire's eyes? Bubblegum could not find it in herself to say anything. Her throat felt tight, and the corners of her eyes stung, threatening for her own stream of tears to fall.

"I take it that I'm not good enough for you, eh? Well whatever! You don't have to worry about me coming around here anymore. Happy Princess day and have a nice life Bonnibel."

The vampire stormed over to the glass window, throwing it open, then left without even a glance back. The princess ran a hand through her gummy hair before collapsing in her bed. What just happened? What had she done?

Bubblegum curled under the covers, trying to forgot like the whole fight never even happened. Tears finally were released, and the warm liquid was captured in her pillow, making her face wet whenever she repositioned it; however, the princess wasn't the only one crying that night.

* * *

In the opposite side of the spectrum, in a dark, damp cave slept the undead Queen. Marceline was sprawled out on her bed, not floating. The blanket, placed poorly across her body, failed to cover her grey feet. It was quiet in her house, and nothing could be heard. Not even her breathing, for vampires didn't really need to breathe. In fact, she looked like a statue with a plaid blanket, suspended in time.

The Royal Messenger made it to the cave shortly before noon. His candy cane steed refused to enter the depths in the dark, so he left his horse at the entrance. It was beyond his understanding why the princess would want to invite someone who lived in a cave, let alone someone who wasn't even alive. He found the front of the house and was prepared to knock until he saw the absence of a door. The door itself still remained on the floor from being kicked in. The messenger stuck his head in slightly to find no one in the living room. There was a red guitar-looking instrument resting against the wall and a sofa, but that was about it.

"Hello?" He called out. "Is anyone home?"

Silence.

"Maybe if I just set the letter on the chair, she'll see it." The messenger extended his hand into the house, but only his hand. He felt some ominous dark force that didn't quite want him there. The white letter didn't even touch the red chair before an axe came crashing down on it. The messenger fell back on his bottom and began crawling backwards. A very tired, very peeved vampire gripped the axe base tightly. The messenger didn't even notice the instrument/weapon left its spot against the wall.

"You better have a good reason for waking me up because unlike you stupid candy folk, at noon, I'm only halfway through my sleep cycle." Marceline growled, tempted to turn into a tentacle beast.

The messenger shot out his hand to display the envelope addressed to the vampire herself. She took it, opening it with her pointed fang, and read:

_Dearest Marceline,_

_You are here by invited to attend the celebratory party in honor of Princess Bubblegum for Princess Day. The celebration will be held at Princess Bubblegum's Castle at sunset. It is black-tie optional in preference of the princess. You are not required to bring a gift. Hope to see your smiling face there!_

_Your Princess,_

_Princess Bubblegum_

She crumpled the invite and threw it back at the messengers face.

"Thanks, but no thanks," Marceline motioned to slam the door, but forgot that it was still residing on the floor.

"Shall your RSVP be interpreted as no?" He asked. The axe base fell in-between in his legs and he shot up, heading off in the other direction. The vampire's gaze followed the foolish candy citizen before she dislodged her instrument from the porch. She inspected the small gap in wood about the width of a ruler and as long a shoe. She then turned to look at her battered down door and decided maybe she needed to rethink her actions before performing them to avoid destroying more stuff like her house.

Marceline picked up the crumpled paper and read it a second time and then a third. The princess herself had signed it; it was fresh ink that the vampire could see. She stuffed the invite in her pocket before floating to the entrance of her cave. Surely it was bright and cheerful outside. Candy Kingdom could be seen in the distance. Marceline wondered if Bubblegum truly wanted her there, or if it was just a pity invite from the incident last night. Marceline slid the invite out of her pocket and made it into a paper plane, tossed it in the wind, and watched it sail away out of her sight. Marceline then seriously considered throwing herself into the bright of day, but then decided to go back to bed because vampires can't sleep in the sunlight.

* * *

Everyone in the Candy Kingdom was headed to the same place that evening. They made their way to the sugar-coated castle, adorned in elegant dresses and fine tuxes. Finn and Jake were wearing matching pinstriped tuxes with red bow ties instead of the regular ties. In Finn's suit pocket he placed a red lollipop, and in Jake's there was a rainbow-colored one. Both were giddy with excitement as they passed through the doors of the castle. Music flooded their ears as bodies of candy folk filled their eyes. Finn searched, trying to find the one person this party was all for while Jake made his way over to the buffet table.

Bubblegum was standing in a crowd of marshmallow people who just arrived also, presenting the princess with her gift. She took it happy then placed it on the gift table. She thanked them and brought her attention to the human boy.

"Hey PB! Happy Princess Day!" He said, hugging her.

"Greetings Finn and thank you, but did you forget to bring your gift for me?" She asked with a fake pout on her face.

"I thought presents were optional? And Jake's got it, but it looks like he's chowing down." Finn said, eyeing his brother who was stuffing his face with sweets.

"They were. I was just kidding." She explained while ruffling the boy's hair. "Where's Flame Princess? Did she not get her invite, or did she decide to celebrate in the Fire Kingdom?"

"No she did, but we both decided it'd be better if she stayed away so she wouldn't melt any of the candy people. And as for the Fire Kingdom, Flame Princess decided not to go because of family issues, but some of the citizens are visiting her at her house." Finn admitted, wishing his hot-headed girl would have come to the party. "But she does send her greetings."

"Tell her I say thank you!"

"Yeah, no problem, but speaking of invites…" Finn said nervously.

"Hmm?"

"How come Marceline didn't get one? I mean I know she's not a candy citizen, but neither am I. I got to come because I was your friend, so why couldn't Marceline come? She's your friend too, right?" Finn asked.

"Well, yes. And no. It's complicated right now Finn." Bubblegum said truthfully.

"How could friendship be complicated?" The boy pressed on.

"Because things come up that are more important, and they can no longer be friends, okay?"

"That doesn't sound like a good reason."

"Well it's reason enough," the princes snapped. "And besides I sent her an invite this morning; it was received, and I'm unsure if she is attending or not. Now Finn, I have more guests to greet so this discussion is over."

Finn frowned, not meaning to upset the pink girl, but reluctantly walked away.

Bubblegum was in a fog the entire evening. She received gifts, thanked people for coming, danced a little, but found herself searching for the raven haired vampire. It was almost the end of the evening and she hadn't see her. The princess sighed, sitting down at a table with a glass of strawberry punch in front of her. She sipped it while watching everyone else dance. Finn was with some tree princess who's kingdom was so small that Princes Day for her really wasn't even a celebration at all. Jake had found Lady Rainicorn and they were swaying and stretching together, something they considered dancing. Glob, even LSP found some poor unfortunate guy to dance with her (LSP chose not to celebrate Princess Day).

What was the point of celebrating today if everyone else was happy except for the princess? Granted it was probably her fault anyway, but she sure felt sour at the moment. I guess the thought of bringing friends together in a joyous occasion made her feel slightly better. She rested her head in her palm, placing her elbow on the table. It was a very unprofessional look, but everyone else was dancing so who was there to see her?

The celebration ended with fireworks, and the candy people returned home. Bubblegum dismissed herself from the cleanup and decided to head to her sleeping chambers. She headed to the bathroom to take care of the necessities and then to her closet. She decided that her usual pink attire was to bland for the evening. She found the only blacks shirt that she owned and put it on; it was a gift from Marceline. That was probably why she chose to wear it. She then slid into some comfy white shorts that also were not pink. If only she could escape from her own skin, escaping from who she was because right now, being Bubblegum felt pretty lame.

She was sure Marceline would have made an appearance tonight, crashing through a window or banging down a door. Glob, she would have even taken a giant bat lumbering onto the dance floor. Bubblegum reconsidered her last thought and was so distracted that she didn't even noticed the other person standing in the room.

She gasped, her heart taking off in a wild beat.

"Marceline?" Bubblegum was unsure for the figure in front of her, for she did not resemble the appearance of the vampire at all. Her usual rebellious hair was tied back into a fine bun, no stray hairs were left out. Small, white diamonds were decorated around her crimson eyes. She wore a tight fitting black dress that was strapless and fit her figure perfectly, showing off her curves and displayed just the right amount of cleavage. Instead of floating like her usual mannerism, her feet were planted on the floor.

"Sorry for arriving late, Bonnibel." She apologized, approaching the princess. "I don't even have a present to give you, but can I ask for this dance?" Marceline offered her hand and Bubblegum took it without a second thought. The princess's pink, dainty hands intertwined with grey, slender fingers. No music was being played, but to make up for it, Marceline began humming.

"Is that," Bubblegum squinted her eyes, "sugar around your eyes?"

"Just wanted to make sure I was sweet enough for you." Marceline did not speak with anger or malice in her voice. In fact, she seemed quite content with everything around her, according to her half open eyes and sly smile. Bubblegum frowned, not liking the vampire's response. They swayed together for the duration of Marceline's humming.

The vampire brought her lips to Bubblegum's neck, kissing her gently, and catching the princess off guard. The princess about protested until her train of thought was lost when trails of kisses were left on her neck, traveling up to her ear. Bubblegum felt a shiver run through her spine, for Marceline's lips were particularly chilly, and she could feel the pointed tips of fangs pressing against her skin. Marceline lifted her head an started whispering in the princess's ear.

"So do I meet your expectations yet?" She asked.

Bubblegum pushed away from the vampire and stared at her. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, you know. How you mentioned I wasn't sweet enough for you, or that I didn't dress good enough for your standards?"

"Why… Why would you do this?" Bubblegum asked. "I liked your style of clothing, and-"

"What the math, Bonnibel? Is anything I ever good, or… or even right?" Marceline scowled. "You're so confusing! Grod, you drive me crazy, and for the un-life of me, I wonder why I still stick around when it's clear that you only want to mess with my head."

"I mess with your head? You started kissing me! And that's… That's not okay." She said, stomping her foot on the ground as if it would set the rule in place.

"Well you know what else isn't okay? Dumping your girlfriend because you think your kingdom is more important." Tears were just pooling over, flowing down the vampire's cheek. She took off through the glass door, causing shards to fly all over the floor. Bubblegum was left speechless. Her pink knees gave out under her, and she crumpled to the ground. The banana guards heard the commotion and came charging in to find their princess in a heap of tears sprawled on the floor.

The princess no longer felt special even though it was still Princess Day.

* * *

**A/N:** This is my first Adventure Time story, and I am curious to see if you guys will like it. This is part one of a two chapter story. If there's enough interest in it, I'll write up the second chapter. If not, I put a band-aid on my ego and will leave it open for the imagination. I hope to write more Adventure Time stories. I like the couples of Finn x Flame Princess, and of course, the lovely, Bubblegum and Marceline. Thanks for reading!

**Zoeyz**


End file.
